1-4. Doom to the pretentious drunks of Ephraim,shabby and washed out and seedy—Tipsy, sloppy-fat, beer-bellied parodiesof a proud and handsome past.Watch closely: God has someone picked out,someone tough and strong to flatten them.Like a hailstorm, like a hurricane, like a flash flood,one-handed he’ll throw them to the ground.Samaria, the party hat on Israel’s head,will be knocked off with one blow.It will disappear quicker thana piece of meat tossed to a dog.
11-12. But that’s exactly how you will be addressed.God will speak to this peopleIn baby talk, one syllable at a time—and he’ll do it through foreign oppressors.He said before, “This is the time and place to rest,to give rest to the weary.This is the place to lay down your burden.”But they won’t listen.